Passenger location platform

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are described to provide navigational guidance to persons within crowded and unfamiliar environments such as aircraft cabins, stadiums, and theaters. An “activation arrangement” may be created to dynamically activate various lighting devices, personal electronic devices, and/or other devices to usher the person from a current location to a destination, such as a seat, entranceway, or lavatory. These techniques may be customized based upon existing conditions within the environment and/or based upon user-personalized settings to improve the comfort of persons in these environments.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communicationsystems. More particularly, the present disclosure describes techniquesfor leveraging the technological capabilities of various devices toprovide navigation aid to a person moving about a navigable environmentsuch as an aircraft cabin.

BACKGROUND

A cabin of an aircraft, particularly a commercial aircraft, is typicallya crowded environment carrying a large number of passengers and crewmembers. Within this crowded and often unfamiliar environment, apassenger or crew member may need to navigate the cabin to access alocation such a passenger's seat, an entranceway, a lavatory, or anoverhead storage compartment. However, the crowded, unfamiliar, andoften dimly lit conditions of the aircraft cabin may impede movementaround the aircraft cabin.

Typically, a passenger or crew member in an aircraft cabin may carry apersonal wireless electronic device, such as a smartphone. Some existingapplications enable passengers to use a personal device to view anelectronic boarding pass, which may indicate the passenger's seatnumber. However, these existing applications do not provide furthernavigation aid to the seat or to other areas of the cabin, nor do theseapplications mitigate the above-described inconveniences associated withthe cabin environment.

SUMMARY

The disclosure of the present application describes computing systemsand methods for providing navigation aid to one or more persons movingabout a “navigable physical environment” such as an aircraft cabin,stadium, theater, or auditorium. In example embodiments for navigationaid in an aircraft cabin environment, the techniques described hereinmay provide visual, audial, and/or haptic navigation aid by leveragingthe technological capabilities of (1) lighting/display devices installedwithin the aircraft cabin environment, and/or (2) wireless communicationdevices (e.g., smartphones) carried aboard the aircraft by passengersand crew members. The techniques described herein may thereby mitigateinconveniences often encountered by persons moving about the navigableenvironment. Furthermore, in some scenarios, these techniques mayprovide locations of passengers, seats, lavatories, and other locations,where in an unfamiliar environment the locations may otherwise beunknown.

Generally, the navigation aid techniques herein may be implemented viaone or more computing devices disposed within the navigable environment.For example, in the aircraft cabin environment, one or more on-boardservers may be physically disposed within the cabin, or may be otherwiseoperatively connected to various lighting devices and other electronicdevices within the aircraft cabin (e.g., via Air-To-Ground (ATG) and/orsatellite communications links). In response to receiving an indicationof a person intending to move about the navigable environment(“navigation intent”), a current location of the person and adestination may be determined. An ad hoc “activation arrangement” may beassembled, the activation arrangement including a determination one ormore “aid devices” to be activated in a particular manner to guide theperson from the current location to the destination. The activationarrangement may be executed, causing the one or more aid devices toactivate as determined to guide the person to the destination.

In an embodiment, a computer-implemented method provides visual aid to aperson within a navigable environment such as an aircraft cabin. Themethod includes, via one or more processors: (1) receiving, via acomputing device disposed within the navigable environment, anindication of an intent of a person to navigate within the navigableenvironment, (2) determining a current location of the person within thenavigable environment, (3) determining, based upon the receivedindication of the navigation intent, a destination of the person withinthe navigable environment, (4) determining, based upon the determinationof the current location and destination, an activation arrangementcomprising a determination of one or more visual aid devices to beactivated within the navigable environment to guide the person from thecurrent location to the destination, and/or (5) causing activation ofthe one or more visual aid devices according to the activationarrangement. The method may include additional, fewer, or alternateactions, in some embodiments.

In another embodiment, a computing system may provide visual aid to aperson within a navigable environment. The computing system may includeone or more processors and one or more computer memories storingcomputer-executable instructions that, when executed via the one or moreprocessors, cause the computing system to (1) receive, via a computingdevice disposed within the navigable environment, an indication of anintent of a person to navigate within the navigable environment, (2)determine a current location of the person within the navigableenvironment, (3) determine, based upon the received indication of thenavigation intent, a destination of the person within the navigableenvironment, (4) determine, based upon the determination of the currentlocation and destination, an activation arrangement comprising one ormore visual aid devices to be activated within the navigable environmentto guide the person from the current location to the destination, and/or(5) cause the one or more visual aid devices to activate according tothe activation arrangement. The computing system may include additional,fewer, or alternate components, and may be configured to performadditional, fewer, or alternate actions, in some embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed embodiments, andexplain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 depicts an example aircraft communication environment in whichthe techniques described herein be implemented;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are overhead views of example aircraft cabinenvironments in which the techniques described herein may beimplemented;

FIG. 3 depicts example “navigation aid devices” that may be caused toactivate in an activation arrangement;

FIG. 4 depicts an example computer-implemented method for providingnavigation aid to a person in a navigable environment;

FIGS. 5A-5B depict example use scenarios of the computer-implementedmethod from FIG. 4 ;

FIGS. 6A-6B depict example graphical user interfaces via which a usermay request navigation aid;

FIG. 7 depicts an example workflow management graphical user interfacevia which a crew member in an aircraft cabin environment may requestnavigation aid; and

FIGS. 8A-8D depict example graphical user interfaces via which a usermay personalize aid devices and activation characteristics associatedtherewith.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

At a high level, the disclosure of the present application describesmethods and a computing platform for providing navigation aid to personsmoving about a “navigable physical environment” such as an aircraftcabin environment. Particularly, in example aircraft cabin environmentsthat will be described herein, these techniques may provide navigationaid to passengers and/or crew members via visual, audial, and/or hapticactivation of various “navigation aid devices” devices in the withinand/or proximal to the cabin. These navigation aid devices may include,but are not limited to, (1) lighting devices including aisle lightingdevices, overhead lighting devices, and/or public display screens, (2)seatback computing units provided at seats of passengers, and/or (3)personal wireless communication devices (“personal devices,” e.g.,smartphones) carried aboard the aircraft by passengers and/or crewmembers. “Activating” one or more such devices may include causing eachdevice to provide various visual, audial, and/or haptic prompts/alertsto the person such that they may easily navigate to a destination withinor near the aircraft cabin. For any person intending to navigate aboutthe aircraft cabin environment, an ad hoc “activation arrangement” maybe determined, execution of which may cause one or more aid devicesactivate according to various techniques described herein to guide theperson from their current location to the destination.

In some embodiments, the techniques described herein may moreparticularly leverage the technological capabilities of personal devicescarried by persons within a navigable environment. Location of suchdevices, and thus the corresponding persons within the navigableenvironment, may be determined via various location techniques,including wireless location techniques via wireless access points, RFIDreaders, iBeacons, and/or other near-field communication (NFC) devices.In some embodiments, locations of each person within a navigableenvironment may be monitored, such that (1) any person may receivenavigation aid to any destination within the navigable environment, (2)navigation aid may be provided based upon location of such persons toavoid crowding in the navigable environment, and/or (3) other persons,such as seated passengers in an aircraft, may themselves receive timelynotification that a navigating person is approaching/passing and “makeway” to reduce inconvenience.

Generally, the techniques described herein may be implemented via one ormore centrally disposed computing devices within the navigableenvironment. For example, in the aircraft cabin environment, as will bedescribed herein, an on-board server may be physically placed in theaircraft cabin environment, and/or may be otherwise communicativelyconnected to the elements therein. The on-board server may becommunicatively connected to lighting devices, seatback units, personaldevices, and/or other devices via various communications links, examplesof which will be provided herein.

An indication of a “navigation intent” of a person may be received, theindication of the navigation intent generally indicating a person'sintent to move (“navigate”) to another location (“destination”) withinthe navigable environment. The indication of the navigation intent maycomprise one or more signals received, for example, via a personaldevice, seatback unit, or other electronic device described herein. Inresponse to receiving a navigation intent, a current location of theperson and the destination may be determined.

In some scenarios, the received indication of the navigation intent mayitself clearly indicate a current location of the person. For example,the indication of the navigation intent may be received via a fixedlyinstalled computing device, such as a seatback unit fixedly mounted to aseat or wall in an aircraft cabin, the location of the person maygenerally correspond to the location of the device, record of which maybe stored at the on-board server. In some scenarios, the currentlocation of the person may be determined based upon a determinedlocation of a personal device corresponding to the person. Examples ofpersonal device location techniques will be provided herein.

In some scenarios, the received indication of the navigation intent mayadditionally or alternatively be indicative of the person's destinationwithin the navigable environment. For example, the received indicationof the navigation intent in the aircraft cabin environment mayexplicitly indicate an intent to find a “Seat 22E.” In other scenarios,though, the received indication of the navigation intent may be lessclearly indicative of the destination. For example, the receivedindication of the navigation intent may indicate the person seeking to“Return to My Seat” or “Find the Nearest Open Lavatory,” without anexplicit identification of a destination. The techniques describedherein may leverage the technological capabilities of various electronicdevices within the navigable environment to determine an exactdestination and facilitate navigation thereto, even if the navigatingperson does not know or cannot explicitly indicate their exactdestination.

In any case, based upon the determined current location and destination,an “activation arrangement” may be determined. Generally, the activationarrangement may include a determination of one or more navigation aiddevices for activation in a particular manner to guide the personbetween the current location and the destination. The one or morenavigation aid devices may include, for example, various lightingdevices, public display screens, seatback units, personal devices,and/or other visual, audial, and/or haptic devices within the navigableenvironment. “Executing” an activation arrangement may include causingthe one or more aid devices to “activate” according to the activationarrangement, that is, to operate in a particular manner (e.g., tovisually display light, to play an audible sound, or to vibrate). Anactivation arrangement may more particularly comprise a determination ofvarious “activation characteristics” according to which an aid devicesmay be activated. For example, determining an activation arrangement mayinclude determining a lighting device to activate to display aparticular color, color pattern, image, or brightness. Other examples ofactivation characteristics will be provided herein. Using thesetechniques, an activation arrangement may be determined based uponenvironmental conditions within the navigable environment (e.g.,existing lighting levels), based upon personalized settings, and/orbased upon other considerations described herein.

In some embodiments, execution of the activation arrangement may bebased at least in part upon continuous determination and updating of thecurrent location of the person within the navigable environment. Forexample, executing an activation arrangement may include causing adisplay screen to activate in response to a determination that thenavigating person is within a predetermined threshold proximity of thedisplay screen, as determined based upon a location of a personal devicecorresponding to the person. Timely activation of one or more navigationaid devices may further facilitate convenient navigation about thenavigable environment.

Using the techniques described herein, multiple activation arrangementsmay potentially be determined and/or executed simultaneously within asame environment. For example, the techniques herein may providesimultaneous navigation aid for two or more people moving about a sameaircraft cabin environment. As will be understood from this detaileddescription, the variety of available aid devices and activationcharacteristics may be leveraged to effectively distinguish any two ormore activation arrangements, such that a person may clearlydifferentiate their own path to a destination.

In this detailed description, navigation aid techniques will generallybe described with respect to example aircraft cabin environments. Anaircraft cabin environment may include a communication environment(e.g., a wired Local Area Network (LAN) and/or a Wireless Local AreaNetwork (WLAN)) that may communicatively interconnect one or moreon-board servers (e.g., Airborne Control Processor Unit (ACPU)), one ormore lighting devices, one or more seatback units, one or more personaldevices, and/or other devices present in the cabin environment. Otherterms used in this detailed description may correspond to the exampleaircraft cabin navigable environments. For example, persons seekingnavigation guidance within the aircraft cabin environment may bedescribed as “passengers” and “crew members” (e.g., pilots, flightattendants, etc.). Locations to and from which persons may receivenavigation aid may include seats, lavatories, galleys, entranceways,cockpits, overhead storage compartments, etc. However, unless indicatedotherwise, it should be understood that the navigation aid techniquesdescribed herein are not limited to use within aircraft cabinenvironments. In some embodiments, the navigation aid techniquesdescribed herein may provide navigation aid to persons navigating to andfrom locations within a train, bus, stadium, theater, arena, auditorium,office space, school, or other suitable environment. Correspondingmodifications to computing devices and other elements described hereinmay be envisioned. For example, whereas an aircraft cabin environmentmay include one or more “on-board servers,” a stadium or theaterenvironment may alternatively include one or more computing devicesoperatively connected to various devices therein, and may be configuredto facilitate the techniques described in this detailed description.

Example Aircraft and Cabin Environment

FIG. 1 depicts an example aircraft communication environment 100 inwhich the navigation aid techniques described herein may be implemented.

An aircraft 101 may be communicatively connected (via one or moresatellite links via one or more satellites 102 and/or via one or moreAir-to-Ground [ATG] links) to a ground base station 103 (e.g., one ormore ground base stations). The base station 103 may facilitateunidirectional or bidirectional communications between the aircraft 101and the Internet 104 and/or a Public Switched Telephone Network (PTSN)105. The external communication link(s) between the aircraft 101 and thebase station 103 may be enabled via one or more aircraft-mounted ATGantennas 106 and/or one or more aircraft-mounted satellite antennas 107.The external communication link(s) may correspond to one or moreparticular communication protocols (e.g., TDMA, GSM, CDMA, GSM, LTE,WiMAX, Wi-Fi, etc.) and/or to one or more particular frequency bands(e.g., K_(a) band, K_(u) band, L band, S band, Cellular band, AWS Band,PCS band, an unlicensed band, etc.).

The aircraft 101 may generally contain a communication architecture thatestablishes a Local Area Network (LAN) 110 (e.g., a wired and/orwireless LAN) within a cabin of the aircraft. The Local Area Network 110may enable passengers and/or crew within an aircraft cabin to wirelesslyregister devices and/or users, download and access applications, consumemedia or other digital content/services via wireless local area network(WLAN) communication protocols.

The aircraft 101 may include an on-board server 111 (e.g., an AirborneControl Processor Unit (ACPU)), which may include one or more computingdevices. The on-board server may include one or more non-transitorycomputer memories 112. The on-board server 111 may generally operate toestablish and manage operations of the Local Area Network 110 within theaircraft 101, including provision of applications, data, media content,and the like, which may be stored via the one or more non-transitorycomputer memories 112.

The on-board server 111 may be coupled to one or more modemscommunicatively connected to the antenna(s) 106 and/or 107 to exchangeunidirectional and/or bidirectional communications with the Internet 104and/or PTSN 105 via the base station 103, thereby providing access tosystems, nodes, and devices not located within the aircraft 101. Thatis, the on-board server 111 may determine that data transmitted by oneor more computing devices on-board the aircraft 101 is addressed to alocation external to the aircraft 101, and may route the data via theone or more modems to the base station 103 via one or more ATGcommunications links and/or satellite communications links. Conversely,the on-board server 111 may, via the one or more modems and antennas 106and/or 107, receive data addressed to a location within the aircraft101, and may route the data to the location within the aircraft.

One or more wireless access points 114 may be operatively connected(wiredly and/or wirelessly) to the on-board server 111. Although FIG. 1depicts three wireless access points 114, it should be understood thatthe environment 100 may include additional or fewer wireless accesspoints. The wireless access points 114 may operate according to one ormore wireless local area network (WLAN) communication protocols, such asone or more IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi) protocols (e.g., 802.11b, 802.11g,802.11ac, etc.) to support wireless communications among various deviceswithin and/or proximal to the aircraft 101.

The on-board server 111 and/or wireless access point(s) 114 mayfacilitate communications with one or more seatback units 118. Aseatback unit 118 may comprise one or more computing devices configuredto provide Internet browsing capabilities, real-time media programming,and/or other services and applications that require access to remotecontent, or to locally stored content accessible via the on-board server111. Generally, each of the one or more seatback units 118 may beaffixed to a seatback or other surface within the aircraft 101 toprovide the services/applications to a corresponding passenger, who maybe seated behind the seatback or other surface to which the seatbackunit 118 is affixed. The on-board server 111 may store data associatingthe one or more seatback units 118 to (1) one or more respective seatswithin the aircraft, and/or (2) one or more respective passengers to beseated therein.

The on-board server 111 and/or wireless access point(s) 114 mayfacilitate communications with one or more passenger personal devices119. The one or more personal devices 119 may include, for example,smartphones, PDAs, tablet computing devices, laptop computing devices,and/or other personal computing devices carried on-board the aircraft101 by passengers and/or crew members. Passengers and/or crew membersmay use respective personal devices 119 to access an Internet browser,consume media and other digital content, and/or access other servicesand applications that require access to remote content or locally storedcontent. The on-board server 111 may facilitate wireless registration,authentication, and/or authorization of the one or more personal devices119 (e.g., device, application, and/or userregistration/authentication/authorization) to access theservices/content. The on-board server 111 may further store dataassociating the one or more personal devices 119 to particularpassengers and/or crew members. In some embodiments, this data may beleveraged to determine a current location of a person within or proximalto the aircraft 101, based upon a detected location of a correspondingpersonal device 119.

In some embodiments, the on-board server 111 may control and/or monitorthe operational status of one or more lighting devices within theaircraft 101. For example, the on-board server 111 may operate tocontrol and/or monitor aisle lighting devices, overhead lightingdevices, luminous signage, and/or other lighting devices fixedly mountedwithin the aircraft 101. Via the communicative connection(s) between theon-board server 111 and the one or more seatback units 118, one or morepersonal devices 119, other computing devices, and various lightingdevices, the on-board server 111 may determine an activation arrangementof the devices and cause activation of the devices in accordancetherewith.

In some embodiments, the aircraft 101 may further comprise one or morephotosensors strategically placed configured to detect a generallighting level within the cabin of the aircraft 101, detect a lightinglevel within a particular portion of the cabin of the aircraft 101(e.g., within a lavatory), and/or detect movement within the cabin ofthe aircraft 101. In these embodiments, the one or more photosensors maybe communicatively connected to the on-board server 111 to facilitate atleast some of the techniques described herein.

The environment 100 may include additional, fewer, or alternateelements, in some embodiments. While the aircraft 101 is describedherein as being communicatively connected to the ground, it should beunderstood that, in some embodiments, some or all of the navigation aidtechniques described herein may be implemented locally within theaircraft 101 (e.g., via the on-board server 111 and other devices in theaircraft 101), without requiring any exterior communication links.

Example Aircraft Cabin Environments

FIGS. 2A and 2B are overhead views of example aircraft cabinenvironments 200 a and 200 b in which navigation aid techniques may beimplemented.

Description of the aircraft cabin environments 200 a and 200 b willgenerally focus on devices and locations within and physically proximalto the aircraft 101. It should be understood, though, that the elementswithin the aircraft cabin environments 200 a and/or 200 b may beoperatively connected to other exterior elements via the techniquesdescribed with respect to FIG. 1 . For example, in some embodiments, theon-board server 111 in the environments 200 a and 200 b may becommunicatively connected to one or more base stations via one or moreATG and/or satellite communications links.

Referring first to FIG. 2A, the aircraft cabin environment 200 aincludes the aircraft 101, within the cabin of which the Local AreaNetwork 110 may be provided. In embodiments where the aircraft 101 is onthe ground (e.g., at a gate), the aircraft cabin environment 200 a maybe understood to further include physical areas proximal to the aircraft101. For example, the cabin environment 200 a may include anentranceway/exit (hereinafter simply “entranceway”) 228 through whichpassengers and/or crew may enter the aircraft 101. Additionally oralternatively, when the aircraft 101 is on the ground, the aircraftcabin environment 200 a may be understood to further include one or moreother areas on the ground but in proximity to the aircraft 101 (e.g., agate within an airport, a baggage loading station, a fueling station,etc.). Thus, it should be understood that an aircraft cabin environment,as referred to herein, is not limited to just the physical area boundedby the fuselage of the aircraft 101.

The aircraft 101 includes a plurality of seats 220, generallycorresponding to respective passengers and/or crew members within theaircraft cabin environment 200 a. One or more personal devices 119 maybe associated with each of the respective passengers. A seatback unit118 may be affixed to a seat or other surface to serve the passengersand/or crew members at each of the respective seats 220.

The cabin environment 200 a may include one or more positioning devices224 operable to facilitate determination of a location of a person(e.g., location of a personal device 119). The one or more positioningdevices 224 may include, for example, one or more wireless positioningdevices such as the wireless access points 114 depicted in FIG. 1 , oneor more iBeacons, one or more RFID devices, and/or one or more othernear-field communication (NFC) devices. The one or more wirelesspositioning devices may operate using any one or more suitable protocols(e.g., BLUETOOTH low energy (BLE), Wi-Fi protocols, radio frequencyidentification (RFID) and/or a near field communication (NFC) protocols,etc.). Generally, the one or more wireless positioning devices may beoperable to facilitate determination a current location of a personwithin the cabin environment 200 a, based upon a detected location of acorresponding personal device 119. In some embodiments, for example, oneor more wireless access points, iBeacons, and/or RFIDs may transmit(e.g., broadcast) signals to and/or receive communications signals froma personal device 119, and a current location of the personal device 119may be determined based upon a detected signal strength, as measured atthe personal device 119, at one or more wireless positioning devices,and/or at the on-board server 111.

In some embodiments, the one or more positioning devices 224 mayadditionally or alternatively include one or more input devices operableto receive input from a human user indicative of the user's locationwithin the cabin environment 200 a. Input devices may include one ormore biometric input devices, such as an iris scanner, a fingerprintscanner, a facial scanner, or a voice recognition device. A biometricinput device may receive biometric input (e.g., an iris or fingerprintscan, audio input, etc.) and facilitate identification of a particularperson based upon comparison to reference biometric data stored at thebiometric input device, at the on-board server 111, and/or at anotherlocation exterior to the aircraft 101. Location of a person may therebybe determined based upon the known location of the biometric device.

In some embodiments, an input device may receive other forms of input(e.g., a touch screen selection, or a literal voice command) from aperson, the received input indicative of the person being at the knownlocation of the input device. The one or more input devices may bewiredly and/or wirelessly connected to one or more wireless accesspoints and/or the on-board server 111. In any case, it should beunderstood that selection and arrangement of positioning device(s) 224included within any particular aircraft cabin environment may vary.

The cabin environment 200 a may include various other physicallocations. These locations may include, but are not limited to, theentranceway 228, one or more lavatories 232 (“L”), one or more galleys236 (“G,” e.g., a kitchen, food cart, etc.), one or more emergency exits238 (“E”), and/or one or more storage compartments 240 (e.g., overheadstorage compartments). In some embodiments, one or more positioningdevices may be strategically positioned at or near a location. Forexample, one or more input devices may be positioned outside a lavatory232, such that a person may optionally use the input device to provide acurrent location, facilitating use of the navigation aid techniquesdescribed herein.

The cabin environment 200 a includes one or more lighting devices 244.Lighting devices may include, for example, aisle lighting devices, suchas one or more LED bulbs installed in rows along an aisle or otherwalking space in the environment 200 a. Additionally or alternatively,the one or more lighting devices may include one or more overheadlighting devices fixedly mounted above one or more seats 220. Stilladditionally or alternatively, the one or more lighting devices 244 mayinclude one or more luminous signs or public display screens mounted toa surface within the aircraft 101 or elsewhere in the environment 200 a.In some embodiments, the on-board server 111 may be operable to controland/or monitor operation of the one or more lighting devices 244 toprovide navigation aid in the aircraft cabin environment 200 a.

The on-board server 111 may store environmental layout data indicativeof the dimensions and/or arrangements of computing devices, lightingdevices, and locations in the aircraft cabin environment 200 a. Based atleast in part upon the environmental layout data, a particular lightingdevice 244 or other computing device may be identified as beingphysically located between a particular two locations within theaircraft cabin environment 200 a.

Moving to FIG. 2B, the environment 200 b includes another embodiment ofthe aircraft 101 with a modified arrangement of elements therein. Inthis embodiment, the cabin of the aircraft 101 includes two levels ofseating, the two levels traversable via either of a stairway 260 a orstairway 260 b. Each level of seating may include a plurality of seats220, each of which may similarly be associated with respectivepassengers, seatback units 118, and/or personal devices 119. Either orboth levels of seating may comprise one or more positioning devices 224,one or more lavatories 232 (“L”), one or more galleys 236 (“G”), one ormore emergency exits 238 (“E”), one or more overhead storagecompartments 240, one or more lighting devices 244, and/or any of theother suitable elements depicted in FIG. 2A. Communications across bothlevels of seating may be facilitated via the on-board server 111 (“A”),positioning device(s) 224, and LAN 110.

The complexity of the cabin environment 200 b exemplifies the potentialinconveniences caused by crowded navigable environments. That is, thecabin environment 200 b includes many seats 220, multiple routes ofpassage on each level of seating, and multiple usable lavatories 232.For passengers and/or crew members, navigating these environments mayprove especially challenging, particularly when these environments arecrowded or dimly lit, as is often the case in the cabin of an aircraftin flight. Challenges may be found, for example, in finding anunoccupied lavatory, finding a particular seat, or performing variouscrew tasks. By accounting for the particular arrangement of a navigableenvironment and producing an ad hoc activation arrangement, thetechniques described herein may reduce discomfort for persons navigatingsuch environments.

Example Navigation Aid Devices

FIG. 3 depicts example navigation aid devices via which navigation aidmay be provided in a navigable physical environment such as an aircraftcabin. Navigation aid devices may be included in an ad hoc activationarrangement, and may be activated accordingly to guide a person aboutthe navigable environment. In some embodiments, one or more navigationaid devices may be activated via one or more signals from an on-boardserver within an aircraft (e.g., on-board server 111), and/or viaanother centrally disposed computing device within the navigableenvironment. While the description of navigation aid devices withrespect to FIG. 3 will focus primarily on visual aid devices and visualaid techniques associated therewith, it should be appreciated from thisdetailed description that navigation aid devices/techniques may includevisual, audial, and/or haptic aid devices and techniques.

Visual aid devices within a navigable environment may include any one ormore of the lighting devices 244 discussed with respect to FIGS. 2A and2B. These lighting devices 244 may include, for example, one or moreaisle lighting devices 322, which are typically placed in rows alongseats 220. Lighting devices may include additionally or alternativelyone or more overhead lights 324, one or more luminous signs 332, and/orone or more public display screens 334. Navigation aid devices mayadditionally include one or more seatback units 118. Still additionallyor alternatively, navigation aid devices may include one or morepersonal devices 119 as discussed with respected to FIGS. 1, 2A, and 2B.

The one or more aisle lighting devices 322 may include LED bulbs and/orother suitable devices fixedly located in one or more rows along anaisle or other passageway in the navigable environment. In someembodiments, each aisle lighting device 322 may be activatedindependently, such that as a person walks along an aisle, for example,the aisle lighting devices 322 may activate sequentially to lead aperson along the aisle. In some embodiments, one or more aisle lightingdevices 322 may be activated according to one or more modifiableactivation characteristics, such as a modifiable pattern (e.g., flicker,blinking, pulse, etc.), color, color pattern, or brightness.

The one or more overhead lights 324 may generally include one or moreLED bulbs and/or other suitable lighting devices fixedly located withinthe navigable environment. In some embodiments, for example, oneoverhead light 324 may be placed above each seat 220 within an aircraft,or above a group of seats 220. In some embodiments, one or more overheadlights 324 may be activated according to one or more modifiableactivation characteristics, such as a particular pattern (e.g., flicker,blinking, pulse, etc.), color, color pattern, or brightness.

The one or more luminous signs 332 may generally include variousluminous signage placed about the navigable environment. For example, asdepicted in FIG. 3 , a luminous sign 332 may, when activated, indicate adirection to an exit. In some embodiments, one or more luminous signs332 may be activated according to one or more modifiablecharacteristics, such as a particular pattern (e.g., flicker, blinking,pulse, etc.), color, color pattern (e.g., an alternating color pattern,or a striping pattern), or brightness.

The one or more public display screens 324 may generally include any ofvarious display devices placed in common areas within the navigableenvironment. That is, a public display screen 324 may be distinguishedfrom a display screen of a seatback unit 118 in that, while a seatbackunit 118 generally corresponds to a particular seat 220, a publicdisplay screen 324 may be placed in a location not particularly tied toany one particular person within the navigable environment. A publicdisplay screen 324 may, for example, display text content and/or adirectional cue (e.g., an arrow indicating direction to a seat “22A” asdepicted in FIG. 3 ). Additionally or alternatively, a public displayscreen 324 may be configured to display a particular color, particularcolor pattern, or other content according to modifiable characteristics,such that public display screens in common areas may be differentiatedas corresponding to a particular activation arrangement.

Thus, within a navigable environment, any of one or more lightingdevices 244 may be activated to guide a person to a destination withinthe navigable environment. Moreover, the various modifiable activationcharacteristics of activated lighting devices 244 may allow foreffective differentiation of visual aid devices as corresponding toparticular persons. In some embodiments, for example, executing anactivation arrangement for a first person may include causing one ormore lighting devices 244 to display blue light, whereas executing anactivation arrangement for a second person may include causing one ormore lighting devices 244 to display red light. These techniques mayfacilitate effective differentiation of two or more activationarrangements executing simultaneously in a same navigable environment.

The one or more seatback computing devices 118 may be activated, forexample, to display a particular color, color pattern, image, etc.Activation of a seatback unit 118 may be particularly useful, forexample, to assist an aircraft passenger returning to the seat from alavatory or other location within an aircraft cabin environment. Thatis, a destination of a seat may be easily identified by an activatedseatback unit adjacent to the seat.

The one or more personal devices 119 may be activated to display variousvisual prompts and/or other prompts for a person moving about thenavigable environment. As depicted in FIG. 3 , for example, a personaldevice 119 may be activated to display an interactive mini-map of thenavigable environment, the mini-map including a current location of theperson, a destination, and/or other reference locations within thenavigable environment. In some embodiments, the personal device 119 maybe activated indicate other aid devices that are currently activated orthat will soon be activated as part of an executing activationarrangement. For example, as depicted in FIG. 3 , the personal devicemay indicate that aisle lights 322 have been activated, and that aseatback unit 118 that is activated or will be activated in a verticalstriping pattern.

Navigation aid devices used in a navigable environment may additionallyor alternatively include audial aid devices (e.g., speakers) and/orhaptic aid devices (e.g., vibration devices). A speaker may beactivated, for example, to play a particular verbal cue or other soundto provide navigation aid. In some embodiments, a same navigation aiddevice may be more than one of a visual, audial, or haptic aid device.For example, one or more public display screens 334 may further includea speaker unit operable to provide audial navigation aid. As anotherexample, a personal device 119 may be operable to provide visual,audial, and/or haptic navigation aid.

In the example aircraft cabin environments described herein, each of thenavigation aid devices described herein may be activated via one or moresignals transmitted via the on-board server 111. The on-board server 111may, for example, determine an activation arrangement of one or morenavigation aid devices, and may transmit one or more signals to each ofthe one of more navigation aid devices to cause the respective devicesto activate according to the determined activation arrangement.

Example Computer-Implemented Navigation Aid Method

FIG. 4 describes an example computer-implemented method 400 forproviding navigation aid to a person in a navigable environment, such asan aircraft cabin environment. Generally, the method 400 may includedetermining and executing an “activation arrangement” of one or morenavigation aid devices (e.g., one or more visual aid devices) to beactivated within the navigable environment to guide a person to adestination. Actions of the computer-implemented method 400 may beperformed, for example, via an on-board server 111 from FIGS. 1, 2A, and2B, and/or via one or more other computing devices operatively disposedwithin the navigable environment.

The method 400 may include receiving an indication of a “navigationintent” of a person within the navigable environment (402). A navigationintent, as referred to herein, may generally include an intent of aperson to navigate to a destination within the navigable environment. Inthe aircraft cabin environment of FIGS. 2A and 2B, for example, anavigation intent may be an intent of a person to find a particularseat, a lavatory, an entranceway or another location within the cabinenvironment. The indication of the navigation intent may be received,for example, via a client application executing at a personal device ofthe person, via an application executing at a seatback unitcorresponding to the person, and/or via input provided at another inputdevice (e.g., a biometric input device) located within the navigableenvironment.

In some embodiments, based upon the received indication of thenavigation intent, an identity of the person may be determined. Identityof the person may be determined, for example, based upon identificationof the personal device or seatback unit from which the indication of thenavigation intent is received. More specifically, in some embodiments,identity of the person may be determined based upon an identity of alogged-in user at a client application from which the indication of theindication navigation intent was received (e.g., an application runningat a personal device or seatback unit). Additionally or alternatively,identity of the person may be determined based upon a comparison ofoptionally provided biometric data (e.g., iris scan, facial scan,fingerprint scan, etc.) to reference biometric data stored at anon-board server or other computing device. In some embodiments,determination of identity may facilitate determination of an activationarrangement in accordance with customization settings corresponding toan identified person. Additionally or alternatively, determination ofthe identity of the person may facilitate determination of one or morecorresponding personal devices and/or seatback units that may be used asnavigation aid devices in the activation arrangement.

The method 400 may include determining, based upon the receivedindication of the navigation intent, a current location of the personwithin the navigable environment (404). In some scenarios, the currentlocation of the person may be determined based upon the source of theindication of the navigation intent. For example, if the indication ofthe navigation intent is received from a seatback unit or anotherfixedly placed input device, location of the person may be determinedbased upon location of the source. Additionally or alternatively, thecurrent location of the person may be determined based upon a locationof a personal computing device (e.g., a smartphone) corresponding to theperson. Location of a personal device may be determined, for example,based upon detected signal strength of signals exchanged the personaldevice and one or more wireless access points, RFID devices, iBeacons,and/or other suitable wireless positioning devices.

The method 400 may include determining, based upon the receivedindication of the navigation intent, a destination of the person withinthe navigable environment (406). In some scenarios, the receivedindication of the navigation intent may indicate a literal destination(e.g., “Seat 22E” in an aircraft cabin). Alternatively, in somescenarios, the received navigation intent may be less directlyindicative of the destination. For example, the received indication ofnavigation intent may indicate a person's intent to “Find My Seat,” orto “Find a Lavatory” without an explicit indication of the destination.In these scenarios, the destination may be determined, for example,based upon (1) stored flight record data mapping persons to seats, (2)stored environmental layout data indicating special layout of theaircraft cabin environment, (3) detected location of otherpersons/devices within the aircraft cabin environment, and/or (4)monitored availability/occupancy of a lavatory, entranceway, or otherlocation within the aircraft cabin environment.

The method 400 may include determining, based upon the determination ofthe current location and destination, an activation arrangement (408).Generally, the activation arrangement may include a determination of oneor more navigation aid devices (e.g., visual, audial, and/or haptic aiddevices) to be activated in a particular manner to guide the person fromthe current location to the destination. Navigation aid devices mayinclude, for example, any one or more of the aid devices described withrespect to FIG. 3 . In the example aircraft cabin environment, forexample, one or more navigation aid devices may include a personaldevice, a seatback unit, and/or one or more lighting device within theaircraft cabin environment.

In some embodiments, determining the activation arrangement may includedetermining one or more activation characteristics for one or more ofthe navigation aid devices. For example, determining a visual aid deviceto be used in an activation arrangement may further include determininga brightness, color, color pattern, image, etc., according to which thelighting device may be activated. As another example, determining anaudial aid device to be included in the activation arrangement mayinclude determining a volume at which the device may be activated. Asyet another example, determining a haptic aid device to be included inthe activation arrangement may include determining a vibration intensityat which the device may be activated. Other examples of activationcharacteristics will evident from the description of FIG. 3 .

In some embodiments, the determination of the activation arrangement maybe based at least in part upon one or more monitored environmentalconditions in the navigable environment or a portion thereof. Forexample, determining the activation arrangement may include determiningthat the navigable environment or a portion thereof (e.g., a currentlocation) is dimly lit, and accordingly determining that a navigationaid device should be activated with a reduced brightness or a reducedvolume to reduce disturbance to other persons.

In some embodiments, the determination of the activation arrangement maybe based at least in part upon user customization settings correspondingto the user. In some embodiments, for example, a user may provide inputindicative of preferred navigation aid devices and/or preferredactivation characteristics (e.g., color, volume, etc.). Exampleinterfaces for user customization settings are depicted in FIGS. 8A-8D.

The method 400 may include, subsequent to determining the activationarrangement, causing the one or more navigation aid devices to activateaccording to the determined activation arrangement (410, e.g., todisplay light, to play sound, to vibrate, etc.). Causing the one or morenavigation aid devices to activate may include causing the one or morenavigation aid devices to activate alternately or simultaneously. Forexample, in some embodiments, the method 400 may include continuouslydetermining the location of the person within the navigable environment(e.g., via location determination at a predetermined rate), and causingone or more navigation aid devices to activate only as the person passesor approaches each device (e.g., enters a predetermined thresholdproximity of the device), as determined based upon the updated locationof the person.

In some embodiments, activation of the one or more navigation aiddevices may terminate in response to a determination that the person hasarrived at the destination in the navigable environment. Arrival of theperson at the destination may be determined, for example, based upon anyof the wireless location techniques described herein. Additionally oralternatively, arrival of the person at the destination may bedetermined based upon further input received via a seatback unit,personal device, or other input device as described herein.

As used herein “causing a device to activate,” or similar phrases,should be interpreted as causing a device to operate in a particularmanner (e.g., in accordance with a predetermined activationarrangement). “Activation” of a device should not be interpreted to meanthat the activated device was necessarily powered off, in a sleep mode,not running a particular application, or otherwise inactive by anyparticular definition prior to “activation.” Activation of a visual aiddevice may, for example, include causing a personal device to display apush notification or other content when the device is already powered onand running an application.

The method 400 may include additional, fewer, or alternate actions, insome embodiments.

Example Use Scenario in Aircraft Cabin Environment

FIGS. 5A and 5B depict example use scenarios of the navigation aidtechniques described herein (e.g., the computer-implemented method 400from FIG. 4 ). Specifically, FIGS. 5A and 5B provide example usescenarios in an aircraft cabin environment 500, within which anactivation arrangement may be determined and executed. It should beunderstood that the aircraft cabin environment 500 may include any ofthe elements described with respect to the example aircraft cabinenvironments 200 a and 200 b from FIGS. 2A and 2B. For the sake of theseexample use scenarios, though, some elements and reference signs fromFIGS. 2A and 2B are removed, and others are rearranged.

First referring to FIG. 5A, the example use scenario includes aircraftpassenger initially seated a seat 520 a and seeking an occupied lavatorywithin the aircraft cabin environment 500. The passenger is representedin this example by a passenger personal device 519 a, which maytypically be carried by the passenger. An indication of a navigationintent may be received, indicating the intent of the person to find anearest available lavatory.

A current location of the person may be determined, for example, basedupon a location of the personal device 519 a as determined using anysuitable wireless location technique described herein. Alternativelocation techniques, including any suitable technique described herein,may be used in some embodiments.

In this example use scenario, the received indication of the navigationintent may not explicitly indicate a particular lavatory as adestination. The on-board server 111 may monitor a status of each of thelavatories 532 a and 532 b (e.g., occupied or unoccupied), anddetermine, after receiving the indication of the navigation intent, thatthe lavatory 532 a is occupied and that the lavatory 532 b isunoccupied. Accordingly, the destination may be determined to be thelavatory 532 b.

Based upon the determined current location and destination, anactivation arrangement may be determined. In this example scenario,multiple possible paths exist between the personal device 519 a and thelavatory 532 b. A first possible path follows an aisle 540 a, and asecond possible path follows an aisle 540 b. Accordingly, determining anactivation arrangement may include determining a path between thecurrent location and destination, such that a suitable one or more aiddevices may be selected and activated. In this example scenario, it maybe determined that a second personal device 519 b is located in theaisle 540 b. To reduce crowding within the aircraft cabin environment500, it may be determined that the passenger should use the first pathalong the aisle 540 a to reach the lavatory 532 b. Accordingly, anactivation arrangement may be determined to include a series of aislelighting devices 544 a along the aisle 540 a, and not include a seriesof aisle lighting devices 544 b along the aisle 540 b.

An input device 564 (e.g., a biometric device) may be located outsidethe lavatory 532 b. In some embodiments, the input device 564 mayreceive input from the passenger, the input indicative of passengerhaving arrived at the lavatory 532 b. Upon detection of arrival of thepassenger at the lavatory 532 b, execution of the activation arrangementmay be completed.

FIG. 5B illustrates another use scenario of navigation aid techniques inthe aircraft cabin environment 500. In this scenario of FIG. 5B, thesame passenger may intend to return from the lavatory 532 b to the seat520 a. An indication of a navigation intent may be received, forexample, via the personal device 519 a, the input device 564, and/oranother suitable device. In response to receiving the navigation intent,the current location and destination of the passenger may once again bedetermined, using any suitable techniques described herein.

After determining the current location current location and destinationof the passenger, another activation arrangement may be determined. Inthe use scenario of FIG. 5B, the personal device 519 b is no longerlocated in the aisle 540 b. Instead, the personal device 519 b islocated in the seat 520 b, which obstructs the path to the seat 520 a,and in which a passenger may currently be seated. Typically, the returnof a passenger from a lavatory or another location may pose aninconvenience to the passenger seated in the seat 520 b, as the seatedpassenger may be required to briefly exit their seat to allow the firstpassenger access to the seat 520 a. In some embodiments, determining anactivation arrangement may comprise (1) determining that one or morefurther persons may be required to move to accommodate the navigatingpassenger (e.g., based upon the location the device 519 b), and (2)identifying one or more further aid devices to be activated to alert theone or more such persons of the navigating passenger's movement. Forexample, the determined activation arrangement in this scenario mayinclude (1) activation of one or more overhead lights 568, (2)activation of the personal device 519 b, (3) activation of one orseatback units corresponding to the seat 520 b. In some embodiments,these techniques may be integrated into a one or more clientapplications used by the further persons, such that one or more visual,audial, and/or haptic prompts may be provided to the further person(s)if the further person(s) is/are distracted by consumption of services orcontent via a seatback unit or personal device. In some embodiments, theone or more prompts provided to a further person may be determined basedupon a determination of services/content currently being consumed by thefurther person via a personal device and/or seatback unit.

In any case, arrival of the navigating passenger at the seat 520 a maybe detected via wireless locating of the personal device 519 a, viainput at the personal device 519 a and/or the seatback unit 518, and/orvia other techniques described herein. Upon detection of arrival of thepassenger at the seat 520 a, execution of the activation arrangement maybe completed.

Example Navigation Interface in Cabin Environment

FIGS. 6A and 6B depict example interactive graphical user interfacesthat may be presented via an electronic device 602 (e.g., via a clientapplication executing at a personal device or seatback unit) to enablenavigation within the aircraft cabin environment. Input may be receivedat the user interfaces of FIGS. 6A and/or 6B via a touchscreeninteraction (e.g., touch, swipe, etc.), vocal input, and/or via othersuitable input methods.

Referring first to FIG. 6A, a user such as a passenger or a crew membermay utilize the interface 614 to indicate an intent to navigate to adestination within the aircraft cabin environment. For example, a usermay select an “Enter Seat Number” option to provide an indication of aparticular seat to which the user intends to navigate. Alternatively, ifthe user is not aware of the user's own seat number, the user may selecta “Find My Seat” option. In response to receiving a “Find My Seat”selection, the device 602 may communicate, for example, with an on-boardserver and/or one or more other computing devices storing informationthat associates the user with a known seat number, thereby identifying adestination in response to the received user selection via the interface614. The user may additionally or alternatively utilize the interface614 to select a “Find a Lavatory” option, selection of which may enablea user to view a status of one or more lavatories in the cabinenvironment to identify a particular lavatory that is unoccupied. Anexample user interface for viewing the status of one or more lavatorieswill be described with respect to FIG. 6B.

The user may additionally or alternatively utilize the interface 614 toselect a “Customize” option, selection of which may enable a user topersonalize the aid devices and/or techniques (e.g., colors, patterns,etc.) to be provided in navigable environment. Example user interfacesfor personalizing aid devices and/or techniques will be described withrespect to FIGS. 8A-8D. In some embodiments, the interface 614 mayinclude a “Select Destination” option, selection of which enables a userto view an interactive mini-map of the aircraft cabin environment tofamiliarize the user with the environment and/or to select a destinationfrom the mini-map.

Moving to FIG. 6B, an interface 624 may be presented at the device 602in response to selection of the “Find a Lavatory” option from theinterface 614, in some embodiments. The interface 624 may include a listof lavatories within the aircraft cabin environment, with each lavatoryidentified by its general location within the cabin. The interface 624may display a status of each of the lavatories as monitored within theaircraft cabin environment (e.g., occupied or unoccupied). In theexample depicted in FIG. 6B, one lavatory is unoccupied, and a user mayuse a “Go” control to indicate an intent to navigate to that lavatory.In response, an activation arrangement of one or more visual aid devicesand/or other aid devices may be determined and executed to guide theuser to the selected lavatory.

If all lavatories are occupied, or if the user prefers to user a nearbylavatory that is occupied, the user may select a “Join Queue” option toenter a lavatory queue, which may allow a user to “wait in line” for alavatory without needing to leave their seat. When the user reaches the“front” of the queue, the device 602 may notify the user of theunoccupied lavatory (e.g., via a push notification, and/or via anothervisual, audial, or haptic prompt such as those described herein).Furthermore, in response to the user reaching the front of the queue, anactivation arrangement may be determined and/or executed to guide theuser to the selected lavatory.

Example Flight Crew Workflow Techniques

Embodiments of the aid techniques described herein may facilitateperformance for various tasks by a user such as a flight attendantwithin an aircraft cabin environment. FIG. 7 depicts an examplegraphical user interface 712 presented at the electronic device 602(e.g., a personal device of a crew member). The user interface 712 maybe presented, for example, via a workflow client application executingat the device 602. Input may be received at the user interface 712 via atouchscreen interaction (e.g., touch, swipe, etc.), vocal input, and/orvia other suitable input methods.

The interface 712 presents a listing of received tasks for the user. Insome embodiments, tasks may be populated at the interface 712 based uponcommunications between the device 602 and an on-board server, which mayreceive passenger service requests and/or manage other scheduled tasksduring flight (e.g., scheduled announcements after takeoff or beforelanding).

Each of the presented tasks includes user options that may be selectedto either activate the task (“Go”) or remove the task from the presentedlisting of tasks (“X”). Activation of a task via the “Go” option maycause an activation arrangement to be determined and/or executed toguide the user to the location as required to perform the task (i.e.,the destination). In some embodiments, in response to detection of theuser arriving at the destination, the task may be automatically removedfrom the listing of tasks.

Example Guidance Personalization Interfaces

FIGS. 8A-8D depict example interactive user interfaces that may bepresented at the electronic device 602 to allow a user (e.g., passengeror crew member) within a navigable environment (e.g., aircraft cabinenvironment) to view and/or alter the visual, audial, and haptic aiddevices and techniques to be used in an activation arrangement. Use ofthe interfaces depicted in FIGS. 8A-8D may enable the person to easilydifferentiate aid devices within a navigable environment, and thus mayfurther facilitate simultaneous execution of two or more activationarrangements in the navigable environment without confusion to personsreceiving navigation guidance. User interfaces such as those depicted inFIGS. 8A-8D may be presented, for example, via a client applicationexecuting at the device 602. Input may be received at the userinterfaces of FIGS. 8A-8D via a touchscreen interaction (e.g., touch,swipe, etc.), vocal input, and/or via other suitable input methods. Insome embodiments, the device 602 may communicate with an on-board serverto indicate personalized settings as received via the device 602, suchthat settings may be viewed and/or modified consistently across two ormore devices, and such that activation arrangements may be determinedbased upon the personalized settings. In some embodiments, one or moreof the interfaces of FIGS. 8A-8D may be presented in response to aselection of the “Customize” option from FIG. 6A.

Referring first to FIG. 8A, an example interface 812 may present anoverview of various navigation aid devices. In some embodiments, thelisting provided in the interface 812 may correspond to the navigationaid devices available in a navigable environment in which the user iscurrently located (e.g., an aircraft cabin environment during a flightor prior to an upcoming flight). Alternatively, the interface 812 maypresent a comprehensive listing of navigation aid devices that may ormay not be available across various navigable environments, such thatthe user may personalize aid devices for future use. In any case, listedaid devices may include aisle lighting devices, luminous signage(“Signage”), one or more registered personal devices (“Personal”), aseatback unit (“Seatback”), and/or other computing devices includinglighting devices described herein.

For each listed device, options may be presented (“On” and “Off”) toallow the user to indicate whether the device should be used in anactivation arrangement. Additionally, for each listed device, a “More”option may be presented, selection of which may enable the user tofurther customize activation characteristics of the device. Examples ofcustomized activation characteristics of particularly navigation aiddevices will be described with respect to FIGS. 8B-8D.

In some embodiments, the interface 812 may include a “ReturnNotification” option, allowing the user to indicate a preferredtechnique via which the user may be notified when another person isreturning to a seat (and may require the user to move to accommodate).In the example interface 812, the user may select a preference to benotified via a seatback unit, via a personal device, and/or via othersuitable techniques described herein.

FIG. 8B depicts another example interface 814 that may enable a user topersonalize one or more activation characteristics of a particularvisual aid device. The interface 814 may be presented, for example, inresponse to selection of the “More” option corresponding to “AisleLighting” from the interface 812 of FIG. 8A. The interface 814 may, forexample, enable the user to select options to select (1) one or morecolors according to which aisle lighting devices may be activated (e.g.,blue, red, alternating colors, etc.), (2) a pattern according to whichaisle lighting devices may be activated (e.g., burst, flicker, pulse),and/or (3) a brightness at which the aisle lighting devices may beactivated. Similar interfaces and options may be presented topersonalize one or more visual activation characteristics of anysuitable visual aid device in any suitable navigable environment.

FIG. 8C depicts yet another example interface 816 that may enable a userto personalize one or more activation characteristics of a particularaudial aid device. The interface 816 may be presented, for example, inresponse to selection of the “More” option corresponding to “Personal(Audio)” (e.g., smartphone audio) from the interface 812 of FIG. 8A. Theinterface 816 may, for example, enable the user to select options toselect (1) a particular sound to be played to provide audial prompt tothe user (2) a timing at which the selected tone may be played, and/or(3) a volume at which the tone may be played. Similar interfaces andoptions may be presented to personalize one or more activationcharacteristics of any suitable audial aid device in any suitablenavigable environment.

FIG. 8D depicts still another example interface 818 that may enable auser to personalize one or more activation characteristics of aparticular haptic aid device. The interface 818 may be presented, forexample, in response to selection of the “More” option corresponding to“Vibration” (e.g., smartphone vibration) from the interface 812 of FIG.8A. The interface 816 may, for example, enable the user to selectoptions to select (1) a particular vibration pattern (2) a timing atwhich the device may vibrate, and/or (3) an intensity at which thedevice may vibrate. Similar interfaces and options may be presented topersonalize one or more activation characteristics of any suitablehaptic aid device in any suitable navigable environment.

Additional Considerations

Throughout this specification, plural instances may implementcomponents, operations, or structures described as a single instance.Although individual operations of one or more methods are illustratedand described as separate operations, one or more of the individualoperations may be performed concurrently, and nothing requires that theoperations be performed in the order illustrated. Structures andfunctionality presented as separate components in example configurationsmay be implemented as a combined structure or component. Similarly,structures and functionality presented as a single component may beimplemented as separate components. These and other variations,modifications, additions, and improvements fall within the scope of thesubject matter herein.

As used herein any reference to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular element, feature, structure, or characteristicdescribed in connection with the embodiment is included in at least oneembodiment. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification are not necessarily all referring to thesame embodiment.

Some embodiments may be described using the expression “coupled” and“connected” along with their derivatives. For example, some embodimentsmay be described using the term “coupled” to indicate that two or moreelements are in direct physical or electrical contact. The term“coupled,” however, may also mean that two or more elements are not indirect contact with each other, but yet still cooperate or interact witheach other. The embodiments are not limited in this context.

As used herein, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,”“including,” “has,” “having” or any other variation thereof, areintended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process,method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements is notnecessarily limited to only those elements but may include otherelements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method,article, or apparatus. Further, unless expressly stated to the contrary,“or” refers to an inclusive or and not to an exclusive or. For example,a condition A or B is satisfied by any one of the following: A is true(or present) and B is false (or not present), A is false (or notpresent) and B is true (or present), and both A and B are true (orpresent).

In addition, use of the “a” or “an” are employed to describe elementsand components of the embodiments herein. This is done merely forconvenience and to give a general sense of the description. Thisdescription, and the claims that follow, should be read to include oneor at least one and the singular also includes the plural unless it isobvious that it is meant otherwise.

When implemented, any of the methods and techniques described herein orportions thereof may be performed by executing software stored in one ormore non-transitory, tangible, computer readable storage media ormemories such as magnetic disks, laser disks, optical discs,semiconductor memories, biological memories, other memory devices, orother storage media, in a RAM or ROM of a computer or processor, etc.

This detailed description is to be construed as examples and does notdescribe every possible embodiment, as describing every possibleembodiment would be impractical, if not impossible. Numerous alternativeembodiments could be implemented, using either current technology ortechnology developed after the filing date of this patent, which wouldstill fall within the scope of the claims. By way of example, and notlimitation, the disclosure herein contemplates at least the followingaspects:

1. A computer-implemented method of providing visual aid to a personwithin a navigable environment. The method comprises, via one or moreprocessors: receiving, via a computing device disposed within thenavigable environment, an indication of an intent of a person tonavigate within the navigable environment; determining a currentlocation of the person within the navigable environment; determining,based upon the received indication of the navigation intent, adestination of the person within the navigable environment; determining,based upon the determination of the current location and destination, anactivation arrangement comprising a determination of one or more visualaid devices to be activated within the navigable environment to guidethe person from the current location to the destination; and causingactivation of the one or more visual aid devices according to theactivation arrangement.

2. The computer-implemented method of the previous aspect, furthercomprising, after determining the activation arrangement: continuouslyupdating, via the one or more processors, the current location of theperson while the person moves to the destination within the navigableenvironment, wherein causing the activation the one or more visual aiddevices to activate according to the activation arrangement comprisescausing each visual aid device of the one or more visual aid devices toactivate based upon a determination that the visual aid device is withina predetermined proximity of the current location of the person.

3. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein the computing device disposed within the navigable environmentcomprises a biometric device, and wherein receiving the indication ofthe navigation intent via the one or more processors comprises: i)receiving biometric data obtained via the biometric device, and (ii)determining an identity of person within the navigable environment basedupon received the biometric data.

4. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein identifying the current location of the person within thenavigable environment comprises determining, via one or more wirelesspositioning devices, a location of a wireless communication devicecorresponding to the person.

5. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein identifying the current location of the person within thenavigable environment comprises determining, via one or more wirelesspositioning devices, a location of a wireless communication devicecorresponding to the person.

6. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein determining the activation arrangement comprises determining oneor more of an image, pattern, color, or lighting intensity to bedisplayed via the one or more visual aid devices.

7. The computer-implemented method of the previous aspect, wherein oneor more of the image, pattern, color, or lighting intensity isdetermined based upon a determined identity of the person within thenavigable environment.

8. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein determining the arrangement further comprises determining one ormore audial aid devices to be activated within the navigableenvironment, and wherein the method further comprises causing the one ormore audial aid devices to activate according to the activationarrangement to guide the person from the current location to thedestination.

9. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein determining the arrangement further comprises determining one ormore haptic aid devices to be activated within the navigableenvironment, and wherein the method further comprises causing the one ormore haptic aid devices to activate according to the navigation patternto guide the person from the current location to the destination.

10. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein the person within the navigable environment is a first person,and wherein the determined activation arrangement comprises a seatbackunit corresponding to a second person located between the currentlocation and the destination, and wherein causing activation of the oneor more visual aid devices according to the activation arrangementcomprises causing a visual alert to be displayed via the seatback unitto notify the second person of movement of the first person in thenavigable environment.

11. The computer-implemented method of any one of the previous aspects,wherein the navigable environment is an aircraft cabin environment.

12. A computing system comprising one or more processors and one or morecomputer memories storing computer-executable instructions that, whenexecuted via the one or more processors, cause the computing system to:receive, via a computing device disposed within the navigableenvironment, an indication of an intent of a person to navigate withinthe navigable environment; determine a current location of the personwithin the navigable environment; determine, based upon the receivedindication of the navigation intent, a destination of the person withinthe navigable environment; determine, based upon the determination ofthe current location and destination, an activation arrangementcomprising one or more visual aid devices to be activated within thenavigable environment to guide the person from the current location tothe destination; and cause the one or more visual aid devices toactivate according to the activation arrangement.

13. The computing system of the previous aspect, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed via the one or moreprocessors, cause the computing system to: continuously update thecurrent location of the person while the person moves to the destinationwithin the navigable environment, wherein causing the activation the oneor more visual aid devices to activate according to the activationarrangement comprises causing each visual aid device of the one or morevisual aid devices to activate based upon a determination that thevisual aid device is within a predetermined proximity of the currentlocation of the person.

14. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-13, wherein thecomputing device disposed within the navigable environment comprises abiometric device, and wherein receiving the indication of the navigationintent via the one or more processors comprises: (i) receiving biometricdata obtained via the biometric device; and (ii) determining an identityof the person within the navigable environment based upon the receivedbiometric data.

15. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-14, whereinidentifying the current location of the person within the navigableenvironment comprises determining, via one or more wireless positioningdevices, a location of a wireless communication device corresponding tothe person.

16. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-15, wherein thedetermination of the activation arrangement is based at least in partupon a determination of one or more environmental conditions within thenavigable environment.

17. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-16, whereindetermining the activation arrangement comprises determining one or moreof an image, pattern, color, or lighting intensity to be displayed viathe one or more visual aid devices.

18. The computing system of the previous aspect, wherein the one or moreof the image, pattern, color, or lighting intensity is determined basedupon a determined identity of the person within the navigableenvironment.

19. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-18, wherein theactivation arrangement further comprises one or more audial aid devicesto be activated within the navigable environment, and wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed via the one or moreprocessors, further cause the computing system to cause the one or moreaudial aid devices to activate according to the activation arrangementto guide the person from the current location to the destination.

20. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-19, herein theactivation arrangement further comprises one or more haptic aid devicesto be activated within the navigable environment, and wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed via the one or moreprocessors, further cause the computing system to cause the one or morehaptic aid devices to activate according to the activation arrangementto guide the person from the current location to the destination.

21. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-20, wherein the personwithin the navigable environment is a first person, and wherein thedetermined activation arrangement comprises a seatback unitcorresponding to a second person located between the current locationand the destination, and wherein causing activation of the one or morevisual aid devices according to the activation arrangement comprisescausing a visual alert to be displayed via the seatback unit to notifythe second person of movement of the first person in the navigableenvironment.

22. The computing system of any one of aspects 12-21, wherein thenavigable environment is an aircraft cabin environment.

23. Any one of the above aspects in combination with any other one ormore of the above aspects.

Thus, many modifications and variations may be made in the techniquesand structures described and illustrated herein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the present claims. Accordingly, it should beunderstood that the methods and apparatus described herein areillustrative only and are not limiting upon the scope of the claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A computer-implemented method of providing visualaid to a person within a navigable environment, the method comprising:receiving, at one or more processors, via respective computing devicesassociated with each of a plurality of respective persons and disposedwithin the navigable environment, indications of intent of each of therespective persons to navigate to respective destinations indicated bythe respective persons, the destinations being within the navigableenvironment; determining, via the one or more processors, currentlocations of the respective persons within the navigable environment;determining, via the one or more processors, based upon the currentlocations and the destinations, and for each respective person among therespective persons, a respective activation arrangement comprising arespective plurality of visual aid devices installed within thenavigable environment to be activated to form a path between thecorresponding current location to the corresponding destination of therespective person, wherein each respective activation arrangementactivates the respective plurality of visual aid devices according to arespective one of a plurality of mutually exclusive colors, such that afirst activation arrangement for a first one of the respective personsuses a first one of the plurality of colors and a second activationarrangement for a second one of the respective persons uses a second oneof the plurality of colors, wherein the first activation arrangementdoes not use the second color and the second activation arrangement doesnot use the first color; causing, via the one or more processors,activation of the determined respective plurality of visual aid devicesfor each respective person according to the corresponding respectiveactivation arrangements; and causing, via the one or more processors,for each of the respective persons, the corresponding respectivecomputing device associated with the respective person to display anindication of the corresponding respective color for the activationarrangement of the respective person.
 2. The computer-implemented methodof claim 1, further comprising, after determining the respectiveactivation arrangement for a particular person among the plurality ofrespective persons: continuously updating, via the one or moreprocessors, the current location of the articular person while theparticular person moves to the destination of the particular personwithin the navigable environment, wherein causing the activation therespective plurality of visual aid devices according to the activationarrangement for the particular person comprises, for each particularvisual aid device from among the respective plurality of visual aiddevices, causing the particular visual aid device to activate based upona determination that the particular visual aid device is within apredetermined proximity of the current location of the particularperson.
 3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein thecomputing devices disposed within the navigable environment comprise abiometric device, and wherein receiving the indication of the navigationintent for a particular person among the plurality of respective personscomprises: (i) receiving biometric data obtained via the biometricdevice, and (ii) determining an identity of the particular person withinthe navigable environment based upon received the biometric data.
 4. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, for a particular personamong the plurality of respective persons, determining the currentlocation of the particular person within the navigable environmentcomprises determining, via one or more wireless positioning devices, alocation of a wireless communication device corresponding to theparticular person.
 5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein, for a particular person among the plurality of respectivepersons, the determination of the corresponding respective activationarrangement for the particular person is based at least in part upon adetermination of one or more environmental conditions within thenavigable environment.
 6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein, for a particular person among the plurality of respectivepersons, determining the corresponding respective activation arrangementfor the particular person comprises determining a lighting intensity ofthe respective plurality of visual aid devices in the activationarrangement.
 7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, fora particular person among the plurality of respective persons,determining the corresponding respective activation arrangement for theparticular person further comprises determining one or more audial aiddevices to be activated within the navigable environment, and whereinthe method further comprises causing the one or more audial aid devicesto activate according to the corresponding respective activationarrangement for the particular person to guide the particular personfrom the current location of the particular person to the destination ofthe particular person.
 8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein, for a particular person among the plurality of respectivepersons, determining corresponding respective activation arrangement forthe particular person further comprises determining one or more hapticaid devices to be activated within the navigable environment, andwherein the method further comprises causing the one or more haptic aiddevices to activate according to the corresponding respective activationarrangement for the particular person to guide the particular personfrom the current location of the particular person to the destination ofthe particular person.
 9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1,wherein, for a particular person among the plurality of respectivepersons, the corresponding respective plurality of visual aid devices inthe respective determined activation arrangement for the particularperson comprises a seatback unit corresponding to another person locatedbetween the current location of the particular erson and the destinationof the particular person, and wherein causing activation of therespective plurality of visual aid devices according to the respectiveactivation arrangement for the particular person comprises causing avisual alert to be displayed via the seatback unit to notify the seeendother person of movement of the particular person in the navigableenvironment.
 10. A computing system comprising: one or more processors;and one or more computer memories storing computer-executableinstructions that, when executed via the one or more processors, causethe computing system to: receive, via respective computing devicesassociated with each of a plurality of respective persons and disposedwithin the navigable environment, indications of intent of each of therespective persons to navigate to respective destinations indicated bythe respective persons, the destinations being within the navigableenvironment; determine current locations of the respective personswithin the navigable environment; determine, based upon thedetermination of the current locations and the destinations, and foreach respective person among the respective persons, a respectiveactivation arrangement comprising a respective plurality of visual aiddevices within the navigable environment to be activated to form a pathbetween the corresnding current location to the correspondingdestination of the respective person, wherein each respective activationarrangement activates the respective plurality of visual aid devicesaccording to a respective one of a plurality of mutually exclusivecolors, such that a first activation arrangement for a first one of therespective persons uses a first one of the plurality of colors and asecond activation arrangement for a second one of the respective personsuses a second one of the plurality of colors, wherein the firstactivation arrangement does not use the second color and the secondactivation arrangement does not use the first color; cause thedetermined respective plurality of visual aid devices for eachrespective person to activate according to the corresponding respectiveactivation arrangements; and cause, for each of the respective persons,the corresponding respective computing device associated with therespective person to display an indication of the correspondingrespective color for the activation arrangement of the respectiveperson.
 11. The computing system of claim 10, wherein thecomputer-executable instructions, when executed via the one or moreprocessors, cause the computing system to, after determining therespective activation arrangement for a particular person among theplurality of respective persons: continuously update the currentlocation of the particular person while the particular person moves tothe destination of the particular person within the navigableenvironment, wherein causing the activation gf the respective pluralityof visual aid devices according to the activation arrangement for theparticular person comprises, for each particular visual aid device fromamong the respective plurality of visual aid devices, causing theparticular visual aid device to activate based upon a determination thatthe particular visual aid device is within a predetermined proximity ofthe current location of the particular person.
 12. The computing systemof claim 10, wherein the computing devices disposed within the navigableenvironment comprise a biometric device, and wherein receiving theindication of the navigation intent for a particular person among theplurality of respective persons comprises: (i) receiving biometric dataobtained via the biometric device; and (ii) determining an identity ofthe particular person within the navigable environment based upon thereceived biometric data.
 13. The computing system of claim 10, wherein,for a particular person among the plurality of respective persons,determining the current location of the particular person within thenavigable environment comprises determining, via one or more wirelesspositioning devices, a location of a wireless communication devicecorresponding to the particular person.
 14. The computing system ofclaim 10, wherein, for a particular person among the plurality ofrespective persons, the determination of the corresponding respectiveactivation arrangement for the particular person is based at least inpart upon a determination of one or more environmental conditions withinthe navigable environment.
 15. The computing system of claim 10,wherein, for a particular person among the plurality of respectivepersons, determining the corresnding respective activation arrangementfor the particular person comprises determining a lighting intensity tobe displayed via the respective plurality of visual aid devices in theactivation arrangement.
 16. The computing system of claim 10, wherein,for a particular person among the plurality of respective persons, thecorresponding respective activation arrangement for the particularperson further comprises one or more audial aid devices to be activatedwithin the navigable environment, and wherein the computer-executableinstructions, when executed via the one or more processors, furthercause the computing system to cause the one or more audial aid devicesto activate according to the corresponding respective activationarrangement for the particular person to guide the particular personfrom the current location of the particular person to the destination ofthe particular person.
 17. The computing system of claim/1, wherein, fora particular person among the plurality of respective persons, thecorresponding respective activation arrangement for the particularperson further comprises one or more haptic aid devices to be activatedwithin the navigable environment, and wherein the computer-executableinstructions, when executed via the one or more processors, furthercause the computing system to cause the one or more haptic aid devicesto activate according to the corresponding respective activationarrangement for the particular person to guide the particular personfrom the current location of the particular person to the destination ofthe particular erson.
 18. The computing system of claim 10, wherein, fora particular person among the plurality of respective persons, thecorresponding respective plurality of visual aid devices in therespective determined activation arrangement for the particular personcomprises a seatback unit corresponding to a-seeend another personlocated between the current location gf the particular person and thedestination of the particular person, and wherein causing activation ofthe respective plurality of visual aid devices according to therespective activation arrangement for the particular person comprisescausing a visual alert to be displayed via the seatback unit to notifythe other person of movement of the particular person in the navigableenvironment.